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photo">AFPEspecially the elderly, women and children have fled.
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AbroadHalf of the inhabitants of the Nagorno-Karabakh region have fled the violence, according to the regional government. At least 70,000 people are said to have fled the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
Many people from the disputed border region have crossed the border into Armenia. At least eight hundred people went to the mountain village of Tegh, but many people also moved further into Armenia. This mainly concerns the elderly, women and children. Young people and men have often stayed in Nagorno-Karabakh to fight against the Azerbaijani army.
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Nagorno-Karabakh is recognized as part of Azerbaijan, but in the 1990s the region where mostly ethnic Armenians live left the country. Since then there have been more conflicts, but not as intense as at present.
Houses and roads destroyed
“It’s terrible, the houses and the roads have been completely destroyed. Even if we want to go back, that is not possible, ”said 67-year-old Maro Hagopi Petrosyan. Many refugees are eager to return, even if the fighting continues. “But for now, the most important thing is that my children are safe,” says a 53-year-old mother of six.
